Catechetical Picture Study | The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary

“With the Rosary, the Christian people sits at the school of Mary and is led to contemplate the beauty on the face of Christ and to experience the depths of his love” (Pope Saint John Paul II).

This picture study contains everything you need for catechetical art appreciation based around the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary! You’ll find 5 pieces of classic art, each depicting a Mystery of the Rosary, and open-and-go catechesis for each.

This resource has the Imprimatur from Bishop William Medley of the Diocese of Owensboro.

The Catholic Church has long-upheld sacred art as an important aspect of one's Christian life, upbringing, and devotion. For, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

Genuine sacred art draws man to adoration, to prayer, and to the love of God (CCC 2502).

Art grants us a myriad of opportunities to expand not only the minds of our children, but also their hearts. Pioneer of home education Charlotte Mason wrote of the student:

His education should furnish him with whole galleries of mental pictures, pictures by great artists old and new … in fact, every child should leave school with at least a couple of hundred pictures by great masters hanging permanently in the halls of his imagination … he should go forth well furnished because imagination has the property of magical expansion, the more it holds the more it will hold. (Mason 43)

When these ideals are applied to evangelizing and catechizing our children, they take on an even greater profundity. For when the child’s imagination grows in tandem with his life of prayer, his Christian imagination expands, leading him to the wellsprings of mental prayer, meditation, and contemplation.

Thus, in just 15 minutes per week, this picture study will present the child with beautiful classic art depicting the Mysteries of the Faith, allowing them to imagine themselves within those Mysteries, and helping train their minds and hearts to contemplate the things of God.

Here's what you get:

• 5 high-quality, 8.5"x11" prints of classic sacred art. These are printed on UV-coated card stock, making them sturdy and perfect for framing or displaying.
• A booklet including information on what the Church has said about sacred art through the centuries and an introduction to picture study catechesis.
• Inside the booklet, you'll also find a two-page, open-and-go catechesis on each art piece. As always, this includes a suggested Scripture to read based on the Mystery and is permeated with prompting and discussion questions to help the child engage with the painting.
• Artwork includes: The Annunciation by El Greco, The Visitation by Rembrandt, Mystic Nativity by Botticelli, The Presentation in the Temple by Anonymous Byzantine Painter, and Child Jesus in the Temple by Steen.

If you're looking for art appreciation support that helps cultivate the child's Catholic worldview and prayer life, this study is for you.